Retailers fined over inadequate product safety standards

Businesses have been warned to ensure that their products being sold in Australia meet local safety standards after three businesses were fined for selling non-compliant high lift jacks.

Businesses have been warned to ensure that their products being sold in Australia meet local safety standards after three businesses were fined for selling non-compliant high lift jacks.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued infringement notices of $10,200 each to online retailers Autoplus Pty Ltd (Autoplus), Smartchannel Pty Ltd trading as Outbax Camping (Outbax) and Sun Yee International Pty Ltd (Sun Yee) after a high lift jack they were selling was found not to comply with mandatory safety standards.

The jacks were tested by the ACCC and did not meet overload safety requirements, nor did they have the required safety markings.

“A high lift jack that does not comply with the safety standard for jacks places users at increased risk of injury or death,” ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said.

“Since 2000, five Australians [on average] have been killed each year while working under a vehicle in a DIY maintenance setting with jacks being commonly involved. The performance and labelling requirements of the safety standard for high lift jacks are designed to reduce the risk of serious injury and death and ensure that users have accurate information about how to safely use these jacks.”

Ms Rickard noted that the supply of any product that fails to comply with relevant safety standards is a breach of the Australian Consumer Law.

“The ACCC has put several other retailers who supplied high lift jacks on notice about their obligations to comply with mandatory safety standards and may take further enforcement action against other suppliers where appropriate,” Ms Rickard said.

According to the ACCC, payment of an ACCC infringement notice is not an admission of a breach of the law, and the commission can issue infringements where it has reasonable grounds to believe a breach has occurred.